Govt pressure holds back JS graft probesThe parliamentary standing committees are facing pressure from the government high-ups in their move to probe corruption and irregularities in the ministries, the committee chiefs alleged yesterday.

Peacekeepers laid to eternal restThe nine Bangladeshi peacekeepers, killed Friday in a militia ambush in the restive West African state Congo, were laid to rest yesterday at their village homes with full military honour.

Govt takes over helm of BDF meet from WBIn an apparent bid to mute the most vocal donors in the annual Bangladesh Development Forum (BDF) meetings typically arranged and led by the World Bank (WB), the government has decided to take the lead

Suo moto halts case against Ctg minorsThe High Court yesterday issued a suo moto rule on eight government and police officials and the plaintiff of a robbery case filed in Chittagong against 11 people including a dead man and four minor children.

PRSP draft finalisedThe government has finalised the draft of the donor-driven Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) outlining around 1,000 action plans in 18 sectors for the next three years to alleviate poverty.

JMJB's threat letter for Galib's releaseAn unverified letter of the 'special military unit of Jagrata Muslim Janata' last evening demanded the immediate release of the militant kingpin Asadullah Al Galib.

Opposition announces agitation plans todayAwami League (AL), left 11-Party, and Jatiya Samajtantirk Dal (JSD) will announce the next course of simultaneous anti-government programmes from separate rallies in the city today.

Hasina could not pay homageLeader of the Opposition Sheikh Hasina could not pay homage to the slain Bangladeshi peacekeepers yesterday, as the Army Head-quarters did not respond to her request to visit the bodies at Army Stadium

Rab nabs Ctg top terror 'Gittu' NasirRapid Action Battalion (Rab) arrested 'Gittu' Nasir, a notorious Shibir cadre and a top kingpin of Chittagong underworld, in the capital's Jatrabari area on Monday night.

Outlaw killed in 'crossfire'A regional leader of outlawed Gono Mukti Fouj (GMF) was killed in a 'crossfire' between his accomplices and police at Char Milpara in the town early yesterday.

Move to list forest land grabbersThe Department of Forest (DF) has instructed its field level officials to make a list of grabbers of some 12, 000 acres of forestland in Gazipur and Savar after a parliamentary committee asked the DFto

Akbar refuses to step downShipping Minister Akbar Hossain has again refused to step down over his failure to ensure passengers' safety in river routes.

Asma Kibria blasts Moudud commentsAsma Kibria, wife of Shah AMS Kibria, severely criticised the law minister's comment that the family of the former finance minister declined the government's offer to provide with helicopter to carryhim

Moudud rebuts US HR reportLaw and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Moudud Ahmed yesterday dismissed the US Human Rights report on Bangladesh saying it was one sided and 'not objective'.

AL hails US reportOpposition Awami League (AL) hailed the US human rights report released on Monday saying it gave the real picture of human rights in Bangladesh.

RMG, textile need Tk16,000cr investment in 5 yearsWith the beginning of challenging quota-free era, Bangladesh's garment and textile sectors need investment of Tk16,000 crore in the next five years, Textiles and Jute Minister Shajahan Siraj said yesterday.

SEC to take actions against Premier BankSecurities and Exchange Commission (SEC) will take actions against Premier Bank Limited on the nature of offence the bank allegedly committed in a bid to grab major shares from the initial public offering

Nepal woos tourists from BangladeshNepalese have embarked on a mission to woo Bangladeshi tourists to the Himalayan kingdom with tourism officials noting that the country is now safe than ever as political uncertainties are over.

EU eyes progress in new WTO talksEuropean Union trade chief Peter Mandelson voiced hope Tuesday that talks in Kenya this week will put the WTO "firmly on track" to secure a global trade liberalization deal by the end of year.

Asia's freight rates hold firm but little actionAsian shipping rates moved little but held firm this week ahead of the start of new South American crop loadings, with demand from Japanese charterers before the country's March 31 fiscal year-end helping

Cricket:Hard work for BCB bowlersBangladesh Cricket Board Eleven bowlers toiled for the second successive match in the Duleep Trophy.

Cricket:Hosts hold the edgePakistan captain Inzamamul Haq may be banking on "passion and enthusiasm" of his young team to tame India in their own backyard, but he requires more than just that to taste success on the arduous tour.

Cricket:Aussies too strongWorld champions Australia underscored their overwhelming dominance of the one-day game by thrashing second-ranked New Zealand by seven wickets with 16 overs to spare at Basin Reserve here Tuesday.

Cricket:Wet start in store?Pakistan's touring cricketers were greeted by rain and the prospect of a washout as they arrived in this scenic northern hill resort on Tuesday to kick-start their 50-day tour of India.

Cricket:SC stays order on BCB directorsThe Supreme Court yesterday stayed Saturday's High Court order that reinstated the elected directors of Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) after two and a half years.

Hockey:Wanderers hold F'ganjDhaka Wanderers Club came from two goals down to draw 2-2 against Farashganj Sporting Club in the Green Delta First Division Hockey League at the Maulana Bhasani National Stadium yesterday.

Cricket:It'll be 'awesome'Indian captain Sourav Ganguly has predicted an "awesome" series against arch-rivals Pakistan, saying the team which handled the pressure better will win.

Tennis:Venus falls, Sania advancesVenus Williams will be off the WTA Tour for at least three weeks with a recurrence of an old stomach injury which worsened during a dismal 7-5, 7-6 loss to Italy's Silvia Farina Elia in the first round

Football:Rallying around MourinhoColourful Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho received the full support of the League Managers' Association (LMA) on Monday following his sending-off during his side's 3-2 victory over Liverpool in the League

Football:Evidence day for KeaneManchester United captain Roy Keane was due to give evidence in court Tuesday after allegedly grabbing a 16-year-old then throwing a punch at his face.

Football:Vintage FowlerA Robbie Fowler double inspired Manchester City to a come from behind 3-2 win at struggling Norwich on Monday.

Football:Victori, Agrani in group finalsVictoria Sporting Club and Agrani Bank moved into the group finals of the Tibet 20th Federation Cup football tournament beating their respective rivals at the Birshreshtha Shaheed Mostafa Kamal Stadium

Chess:Three lead nat'l chessGrand Masters Niaz Murshed and Ziaur Rahman and International Master Abdullah Al Rakib won their fifth round boards in the Mercantile Bank 31st National Chess Championship yesterday to jointly lead the

Cricket:Bari bucks up SamiPakistan's chief cricket selector said Tuesday he hoped the absence of paceman Shoaib Akhtar could inspire fellow bowler Mohammad Sami to spring a surprise on the team's first tour of India for six years.

Cricket:See Streak play againFormer Zimbabwe captain Heath Streak has arrived in South Africa and is set to play his first international match for 12 months.He has joined the squad for Wednesday's one-day match in Port Elizabeth.

Cricket:Gaibandha cricketGhagot Krira Chakra defeated Munshipara Krira Sangtha by 120 runs in the First Division Cricket Super League at the Gaibandha Stadium yesterday.

Chief whip's son placed on one-day remandAkhter Hamid alias Paban, son of Chief Whip Khondoker Delwar Hossain, who had been arrested in connection with an attempted murder case, was placed on a one-day remand yesterday for interrogation.

Medical stores demolishedThe Estate Department of Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) yesterday demolished several medical stores at the passenger sheds in front of the Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH), including some makeshift

One killed in Bhola BNP factional clashA BNP activists was killed and two others critically injured in clashes between two rival factions of the party at Khayerhut market in Borhanuddin upazila in Bhola on Monday.

'Crossfire killings' are only to save godfathersFront ranking Awami League leader and former home minister Mohammad Nasim on Monday alleged that the BNP-Jamaat government is killing Awami League leaders in a planned way to eliminate political foesto

33 accused, 11 held in SatkhiraA case has been filed with Kaligonj thana naming 33 people and accusing another 500 unidentified people for evicting landless people from disputed lands in Bairagir Chalk and Chingrikhali in Kaligonjupazila

Left leader Shankar Boshi deadEminent freedom fighter and an organiser of the language movement Comrade Shankar Boshu died at Rangpur Medical College Hospital Monday afternoon. He was 78.

Little fingers use paint-brush for a causeChildren's art, uninhibited and joyous, is gaining popularity in our country. A large number of children now participate in the numerous local and international art competitions.

Indian documentary gets recognition at OscarsThe Oscars, handed out in distant Hollywood, reverberated in the squalid lanes of Kolkata's biggest brothel as a group of children of prostitutes on Monday celebrated the triumph of a film made on them

Wife dies from burnsA mother of a seven-month-old daughter succumbed to her burn injuries at a city hospital yesterday nine days after her husband allegedly set fire to her at the Geneva Camp in the city.

Punishment to culprits demandedBangladesh Mahila Parishad yesterday demanded exemplary punishment to the persons responsible for the death of Mousumi Hasan, a student of Asia Pacific University.

Khulna BCU president taken to Rab officeBenajir Ahmed Jewell, president of Khulna district unit of Bangladesh Chhatra Union (BCU) was taken to Khalishpur Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) headquarters on Monday night.

DU IT Festival beginsAn Information Technology (IT) Festival began at the Computer Science and Engineering Department of Dhaka University (DU) yesterday.

BSF yet to return two BangladeshisThe Indian Border Security Force (BSF) is yet to return the two Bangladeshis who were picked up from near the border on Monday.The two are Krishnakumar Singha and Abdul Khaleque.

4 officials get extensionThe government yesterday extended the contract service of four mid-level officials, including three political appointees for one year each, according to official notification.

2 teenage sisters kidnapped, raped in TangailTwo teenage sisters were abducted by a gang of miscreants from their house at village Basakhanpur in Sadar upazila on Sunday night and raped them, police and victims' family sources said.

Palestinians muster world supportWorld powers have demanded immediate Palestinian action to catch those behind a Tel Aviv suicide bombing that has broken a fragile ceasefire with Israel.

70 rebels killed in Nepal clashMore than 70 Maoists have been killed in a fierce clash with Nepal's army, an official said yesterday as the foreign minister warned the world to accept the king's power grab or watch a communist takeover

US rights report suffers from politicsA US State Department human rights report treated Latin American countries unequally, the result of US political priorities, a rights group said Monday.

Malaysia launches massive crackdownMalaysian officials yesterday launched a controversial operation to round up, whip and deport hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants following the end of a four-month amnesty.

'Laden asks Zarqawi to make US a target'al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden recently asked his chief ally in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, to consider the territory of the United States as a target for terrorist attacks, a US counterterrorism official

Editorial:Assault on landless peopleArmed land grabbers set on fire 364 homes in three villages under two police stations in Satkhira district on Sunday morning.

Editorial:Agriculture subsidy questionContinuing indecision over grant of subsidy on diesel for irrigation-based farming may have queered the pitch for a good IRRI harvest.

The rise of Islamic extremism in BangladeshIn the backdrop of rising deep concern among development partners, on February 23 the government finally took action in banning two Islamic extremist organizations in the country, namely, Jagrata Muslim

Will America always be unassailable?They say what goes up comes down. Historically it is true. But then the US case is said to be so unique. It is the richest and most powerful country with an enviable resource base.

In conversation with an Indian diplomatI was meaning to write this earlier but kept procrastinating till the recent spate of writings on India-Bangladesh relations motivated me to describe excerpts of a conversation (those nearby said it was

Our lost dreamOne night I was reading a paragraph based on 'The Victory Day' for my imminent HSC examinations. I tried to learn it by rote for its importance in our exam.

Why this loss?The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has cancelled 25 million US dollars of a total amount of 37 million US dollars loan from the Sundarbans Biodiversity Conservation project (Ittefaq, 03.02.

Countering militantsBetter late than never! For whatever reason, the government at long last made some attempts to counter the militants.

RMG forecastsThe rules of the game in the RMG export market have changed since the beginning of this year. The readers of newspapers have been exposed to many angles of analyses, and apprehensions.

An appeal to UK governmentIt is gathered from a press report that the Bangladeshi restaurants are facing closure in the United Kingdom due to visa restrictions imposed by the British government.

Spirit of 21 FebruaryAnother year has gone by and we have celebrated Ekushey. It's very important for us. Bangla is our mother tongue. It has a bright history.

Ekushey in Old DhakaEkushey February is the day of our mother language. Salam, Barkat, Rafiq, Jabbar sacrified their lives for Bangla language. Every year we celebrate this day.

Moment of gloryI and my classmates arranged to celebrate The International Mother Language Day this year. It is celebrated at 12:00 at midnight on February 21.

Attention: PSCI am appearing in the 25th BCS written examinations. Our Bangladesh Affairs exam was held on 10th February,2005.

When tech is funWith new innovative categories, 'The 3rd Techno Fun Fair' organised by the North South University Computer Club (NSUCC) was a raving success at exhibiting some of the latest technologies around the world

Not just a local search-siteAlocal business search engine, bdtradeinfo.com, recently introduced three new categories to its existing local search criteria which sum into a large collection for such a database.

Feasting on country's heritage at tourism fair‘Enchanted' would you be on entering the Tourism Festival 2005 premises with the sight of the Paharpur monastery beside the Ahsan Manzil and the enigmatic sunset at Kuakata, as the entire country's beauty